Sputtering deposition

Abstract

A sputter deposition apparatus comprising: a substrate support assembly arranged to support a substrate; a target support assembly arranged to support at least one sputter target for use in sputter deposition of target material onto the substrate; a plasma generating arrangement arranged to provide a plasma for said sputter deposition; and a cartridge arranged to contain the substrate with deposited target material after said sputter deposition, the cartridge being removable from the sputter deposition apparatus.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to deposition, and more particularly, to a method and apparatus for sputter depositing a target material on a substrate.

Background Art

[0002] Deposition is a process of depositing a material on a substrate. An example of deposition is thin film deposition, in which a thin layer (usually approximately from a fraction of a nanometer or a few nanometers to several micrometers or tens of micrometers) is deposited on a substrate such as a silicon wafer or a web. An example of a thin film deposition technique is physical vapor deposition (PVD), in which a target material in a condensed phase is evaporated to generate vapor, and then the vapor is condensed on the substrate surface. An example of PVD is sputter deposition, in which particles are ejected from a target by the collision of energetic particles such as ions. In an example of sputter deposition, a sputter gas, which is an inert gas such as argon, is introduced into a vacuum chamber at a low pressure, and the sputter gas is ionized using energetic electrons to create a plasma. The collision of the plasma ions with the target ejects the target material, and subsequently the target material can be deposited on the substrate surface. Sputter deposition is superior to other thin film deposition methods such as evaporation in that the target material can be deposited without heating the target material, and as a result, thermal damage to the substrate can be reduced or prevented.

[0003] To reduce the risk of contamination, the substrate can be stored in a dry room or a clean room before or after deposition. This can make the operation of the substrate difficult.

[0004] During sputter deposition, the ejected target material and / or plasma can interact with the chamber in which the deposition is performed, or can coat the chamber. This can reduce the efficiency of the sputter deposition process, for example, when the sputter deposition process is periodically stopped to clean the chamber.

Summary of the Invention

[0005] According to a first aspect of the present invention, a sputtering deposition apparatus is provided, the sputtering deposition apparatus comprising: a substrate support assembly arranged to support a substrate; a target support assembly arranged to support at least one sputtering target for sputter depositing a target material onto the substrate; a plasma generation arrangement arranged to supply plasma for the sputtering deposition; and a cartridge arranged to receive the substrate having the deposited target material after the sputtering deposition, the cartridge being removable from the sputtering deposition apparatus.

[0006] With this arrangement, after processing the substrate, the substrate having the deposited target material can be removed from the sputtering deposition apparatus within the cartridge. The cartridge prevents the substrate from being contaminated and enables the processed substrate to be manipulated and / or stored more easily than otherwise. For example, the cartridge may be used to store air-sensitive substrates on a conventional shelf rather than within a cleanroom or dryroom.

[0007] In an example, the cartridge comprises a vacuum chamber arranged to receive at least a portion of the substrate having the deposited target material in a vacuum. This can further reduce contamination and / or other degradation of the target material deposited on the substrate that could otherwise occur due to interaction between the deposited target material and the surrounding environment.

[0008] In an example, the cartridge further comprises a target support assembly and at least one sputter target. Thus, the cartridge may comprise sputter deposition components that are depleted or modified during sputter deposition. This can improve the efficiency of performing sputter deposition. For example, after use of at least one sputter target to deposit a target material on a substrate, the cartridge including the target support assembly, the at least one sputter target, and the substrate on which the target material is deposited may be removed from the sputter deposition apparatus. Next, a further cartridge, which itself comprises a target support assembly and at least one sputter target, may be inserted into the sputter deposition apparatus for processing. This can be performed more efficiently than other techniques that stop the deposition process to replenish at least one sputter target that has been depleted in the sputter deposition process before restarting sputter deposition. This further provides flexibility in sputter deposition of different target materials onto the substrate. For example, the target material deposited on the substrate may be directly changed by removing the cartridge and replacing it with a different cartridge comprising different sputter targets containing different materials.

[0009] In an example, the plasma generation array is arranged to supply plasma to a deposition region of a sputter deposition apparatus, and the cartridge includes the deposition region. This enables sputter deposition to be performed within the cartridge. This can reduce the contact between debris (such as material emitted from at least one sputter target and / or ions of the plasma) within the deposition region and the sputter deposition apparatus when debris can be included within the cartridge. This can reduce or prevent the need to clean the sputter deposition apparatus which may be necessary to stop sputter deposition. Therefore, the efficiency of sputter deposition can be improved. In those examples, the plasma generation array may be arranged to generate an electric field and / or a magnetic field for the generation and propagation of the plasma, and the casing of the cartridge may include a transmission region that at least partially transmits the electric field and / or the magnetic field in order to generate plasma within the deposition region of the cartridge. With this arrangement, the plasma can be present within the cartridge rather than within a part of the sputter deposition apparatus outside the cartridge. The contact between the plasma and the sputter deposition apparatus can be further reduced, and the need to clean the sputter deposition apparatus can be further reduced. Therefore, the efficiency of sputter deposition can be improved. The cartridge may include a substrate, a substrate support assembly, a target support assembly, and at least one sputter target supported by the target support assembly, and the cartridge may be sealed under vacuum during sputter deposition. With such a cartridge, the cartridge can include consumables for sputter deposition, and the efficiency of sputter deposition can be further improved. By sealing the cartridge under vacuum during sputter deposition, the deposition of environmentally sensitive target material onto the substrate can be performed with improved quality. For example, this can reduce the rate of interaction between the target material and / or the substrate and the surrounding environment.

[0010] In some examples where a plasma generation array is arranged to supply plasma within a deposition region of a cartridge, the cartridge may include an aperture for plasma to enter the deposition region of the cartridge. The aperture may be sealable. This provides additional flexibility for sputter deposition. For example, plasma may be generated outside the cartridge and subsequently introduced into the cartridge. By generating plasma outside the cartridge rather than elsewhere, it may be easier to control properties of the plasma such as plasma density. Therefore, this may improve the control of sputter deposition of a target onto a substrate.

[0011] In an example, the plasma generation array may be arranged to supply plasma for sputter depositing within the sputter deposition region of a sputter deposition apparatus, where the deposition region exists outside the cartridge. This can provide a more compact cartridge than, for example, when the deposition region exists inside the cartridge. Therefore, the cartridge can be stored and / or transported more efficiently than others. In these examples, the sputter deposition apparatus may be arranged to receive a cartridge in which a substrate is disposed, and the sputter deposition apparatus may include a transport assembly arranged to transport at least a portion of the substrate from the cartridge to the deposition region and, after the sputter deposition, transport at least a portion of the substrate back into the cartridge to effect the sputter deposition within the deposition region. This can further improve the compactness of the cartridge. For example, the transport assembly may be used to appropriately supply the substrate to and from the deposition region within the sputter deposition apparatus, and the transport assembly may be larger than the cartridge itself. In these examples, the sputter deposition apparatus may be arranged to receive a cartridge in which at least one sputter target is disposed, and the transport assembly may be further arranged to transport at least one sputter target from the cartridge to the deposition region to effect the sputter deposition within the deposition region. This can improve the efficiency of the sputter deposition process by supplying at least one sputter target together with the substrate to be processed, while also improving the compactness of the cartridge, such that the cartridge can be smaller than the deposition region within the sputter deposition apparatus.

[0012] In an example, the substrate support assembly comprises a conveyor system arranged to transport a substrate relative to at least one sputter target during the sputter deposition. The conveyor system can improve the control of the speed at which the substrate is processed and, therefore, can improve the control in the sputter deposition of the target material onto the substrate. The conveyor system can improve the speed at which the target material is sputter deposited onto the substrate compared to a fixed substrate support device. Therefore, the efficiency of the sputter deposition can be improved.

[0013] According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a cartridge for insertion into a sputter deposition apparatus, the cartridge comprising a substrate, at least one sputter target for use in sputter depositing a target material onto the substrate using the sputter deposition apparatus, and a chamber for storing the substrate having the deposited target material after the sputter deposition.

[0014] Such a cartridge may be used to protect a substrate having a deposited target material from contamination. A substrate having a deposited target material can be manipulated and / or stored more easily than others. For example, the cartridge may be used to store an air-sensitive substrate on a conventional shelf rather than in a cleanroom or dryroom. By including at least one sputter target within the cartridge, a sputter deposition apparatus can perform sputter deposition more efficiently than others. For example, after use of at least one sputter target for depositing a target material on a substrate, a cartridge including a target support assembly, at least one sputter target, and the substrate on which the target material is deposited may be removed from the sputter deposition apparatus. Next, a further cartridge, which itself comprises a target support assembly and at least one sputter target, may be inserted into the sputter deposition apparatus for processing. This can be performed more efficiently than other techniques that stop the deposition process to replenish at least one sputter target that has been exhausted by the sputter deposition process before restarting sputter deposition. This further provides flexibility in the sputter deposition of different target materials onto a substrate. For example, by removing the cartridge and replacing it with a different cartridge comprising different sputter targets containing different materials, the target material deposited on the substrate can be directly changed.

[0015] In some examples, to contain a vacuum, the chamber is a sealable chamber. This can enable the deposition of environmentally sensitive target materials onto a substrate to be performed with improved quality. For example, the proportion of unnecessary interactions between the target material and / or the substrate and the surrounding environment can be reduced. If the chamber is sealable, it provides flexibility as the cartridge can be used for environmentally insensitive sputter deposition such as environmentally sensitive sputter deposition of target material onto a substrate (e.g., under vacuum in a sealed chamber) or sputter deposition of an inert or non-reactive target material onto a substrate. In some cases, the chamber may be a vacuum chamber, for example, if the components are highly reactive, it can further reduce unnecessary interactions between the components within the chamber and the surrounding environment.

[0016] In an example, the chamber may comprise a substrate and at least one sputter target before and after the sputter deposition. This can further improve the efficiency of the sputter deposition process and may be done by inserting a cartridge into the sputter deposition apparatus. In some cases, the chamber may comprise a substrate and at least one sputter target during the sputter deposition, enabling the sputter deposition to be performed within the cartridge. In these examples, the chamber may comprise a conveyor system arranged to transport the substrate relative to at least one sputter target during the sputter deposition. This can improve the control of the speed at which the substrate is processed and thus the control of the sputter deposition of the target material onto the substrate. Compared to a fixed substrate support device, the conveyor system can improve the speed at which the target material is sputter deposited onto the substrate. Therefore, the efficiency of the sputter deposition can be improved. The conveyor system may comprise rollers. In such cases, the conveyor system may be a "roll-to-roll" process arrangement or may form part of a "roll-to-roll" process arrangement and can process the substrate in an efficient manner.

[0017] In an example, the cartridge comprises an aperture for the plasma generated by a sputtering deposition apparatus to enter. The aperture may be sealable. This provides further flexibility in sputtering deposition. For example, the plasma may be generated outside the cartridge and then introduced into the cartridge. By generating the plasma outside the cartridge rather than elsewhere, the control of plasma properties such as plasma density can be made easier. Therefore, this can improve the control of sputter deposition of the target material onto the substrate.

[0018] In an example, in order to generate plasma within the cartridge, the casing of the cartridge comprises a transmission region that at least partially transmits the electric field and / or magnetic field generated by a sputtering deposition apparatus. This can reduce the contact between debris (such as material released from at least one sputter target and / or plasma ions, etc.) within the deposition region and the sputtering deposition apparatus when debris can be contained within the cartridge. This can reduce or prevent the need to clean the sputtering deposition apparatus, which may be necessary to stop sputter deposition. Therefore, this can improve the efficiency of sputter deposition.

[0019] In an example, the substrate is flexible and the chamber comprises a reel for supporting the substrate having the deposited target material after the sputtering deposition. This can facilitate the sputter deposition of the target material onto the substrate using a "reel-to-reel" process arrangement and can process the substrate in an efficient manner. Additionally or alternatively, this can provide an efficient manner of supporting the substrate and can be more compact than other arrangements. In these examples, the reel may be a second reel, and the cartridge may comprise a first reel for supporting the substrate before the sputtering deposition. This can further facilitate the use of an efficient "reel-to-reel" process arrangement.

[0020] In an example, the cartridge may comprise a transport assembly arranged to transport the substrate and / or at least one sputter target out of the cartridge. This may enable the substrate and / or at least one sputter target to be easily removed from the cartridge after sputter depositing the target material onto the substrate and / or after the material of at least one target has been used up. In some cases, this may enable sputter deposition to occur outside the cartridge. Therefore, the cartridge may be more compact than when sputter deposition is performed within the cartridge.

[0021] In an example, the target material includes a material for an electrode layer or an electrolyte layer of an energy storage device. Therefore, in these examples, a cartridge may be used to manufacture an energy storage device.

[0022] According to a third aspect of the present invention, a sputter deposition apparatus is provided, the apparatus comprising a cartridge support assembly arranged to support a cartridge comprising a substrate and at least one sputter target for use in sputter depositing a target material onto a substrate used with the sputter deposition apparatus such that the cartridge is removable from the sputter deposition apparatus; a plasma generation arrangement arranged to supply plasma for the sputter deposition.

[0023] With this arrangement, the substrate having the deposited target material can be removed from the sputter deposition apparatus within the cartridge after processing the substrate. The cartridge protects the substrate from contamination and enables the processed substrate to be manipulated and / or stored more easily than others. For example, the cartridge may be used to store air-sensitive substrates on a conventional shelf rather than in a clean room or a dry room. The sputter deposition apparatus according to the third example may facilitate such a sputter deposition process.

[0024] In an example, the plasma generation array is arranged to supply plasma for the sputter deposition within the deposition region of a sputter deposition apparatus, and the cartridge comprises the deposition region. This enables sputter deposition to be carried out within the cartridge. This can reduce the contact between debris (such as material released from at least one sputter target and / or plasma ions) within the deposition region and the sputter deposition apparatus when debris can be contained within the cartridge. This can reduce or prevent the need to clean the sputter deposition apparatus which may be required to stop sputter deposition. Therefore, the efficiency of sputter deposition can be improved.

[0025] In an example, the sputter deposition apparatus comprises a transport assembly arranged to transport at least a portion of a substrate from the cartridge to the deposition region of the sputter deposition apparatus and, after sputter deposition, to transport at least a portion of the substrate into the cartridge, for effecting the sputter deposition within the deposition region, where the deposition region is external to the cartridge. This can enable the cartridge to be supplied more compactly than, for example, other cases where the deposition region is within the cartridge. Therefore, the cartridge can be stored and / or transported more efficiently than others. For example, the transport assembly may be used to appropriately supply substrates to and from the deposition region within the sputter deposition apparatus, and the deposition region may be larger than the cartridge itself.

[0026] The transport assembly may be further arranged to transport at least one sputter target from the cartridge to the deposition region for effecting the sputter deposition within the deposition region. This can improve the efficiency of the sputter deposition process by supplying substrates to be processed together with at least one sputter target, while also improving the compactness of the cartridge, which can be smaller than the deposition region within the sputter deposition apparatus.

[0027] Further features will become apparent from the following description, given by way of example only and made with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0028]

Fig. 1a

Fig. 1b

Fig. 1c

Fig. 2

Fig. 3a

Fig. 3b

Fig. 4a

Fig. 4b

Fig. 5

Modes for Carrying Out the Invention

[0029] Details of the apparatus and method according to the examples will become apparent from the following description with reference to the drawings. In this description, for purposes of explanation, many specific details of a particular example are shown. References to "example" or similar terms in the specification mean that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the example is included in at least one example, but not necessarily in other examples. Further, note that a particular example is schematically described with certain features omitted and / or necessarily simplified to facilitate explanation and understanding of the underlying concept of the example.

[0030] The examples in this specification relate to a cartridge that is arranged to accommodate a substrate having a target material sputter-deposited thereon after the target material is sputter-deposited on the substrate. Such a cartridge can be inserted into a sputter deposition apparatus to receive the substrate after sputter deposition and can subsequently be removed from the sputter deposition apparatus. The cartridge can protect the substrate from contamination and can be easily manipulated and stored.

[0031] The cartridge may be used to store a substrate (or a part thereof) that is sensitive to the ambient atmosphere or a harmful substrate (or a part thereof). For example, a layer of target material sputter-deposited on a part of the substrate can react with molecules in contact with the layer and can unduly affect the properties of the surface of the layer. However, by storing the substrate within the cartridge, the layer can be prevented from contacting such molecules. The environmental conditions within the cartridge can be more easily controlled than within a larger space. For example, the environmental conditions within the cartridge, such as pressure, temperature, gas composition, etc., can be adjusted to avoid or limit undesired degradation of the substrate. Therefore, the cartridge may be used to store an atmosphere-sensitive substrate on a conventional shelf rather than within a clean room or a dry room. In addition, the cartridge may be used to transport the substrate to a desired location for subsequent processing without contacting the substrate with contaminants or atmospheric conditions that can damage or degrade the substrate or a layer of target material sputter-deposited on the substrate.

[0032] In some cases, even when the cartridge is inserted into the sputter deposition apparatus, the sputter deposition of the target material onto the substrate may occur within the cartridge. This can reduce the contact of the target material and / or the plasma with the sputter deposition apparatus. Therefore, the cleaning frequency of the sputter deposition apparatus can be reduced and the efficiency of sputter deposition can be improved.

[0033] First, an example of a cartridge will be described, followed by an example of a sputtering deposition apparatus into which such a cartridge can be inserted. The cartridges and sputtering deposition apparatuses described herein may be used for plasma-based sputtering deposition for a wide range of industrial applications having the utility of thin film deposition, such as optical coatings, magnetic recording media, electronic semiconductor devices, light emitting diodes (LEDs), energy generating devices such as thin film solar cells, and energy storage devices such as batteries, e.g., thin film batteries. Therefore, although the content of the present disclosure may be related to the manufacture of energy storage devices or parts thereof, it should be understood that the apparatuses and methods described herein are not limited to their manufacture.

[0034] Figures 1a through 1c (collectively referred to as Figure 1) are schematic views showing a cartridge 100 for insertion into an exemplary sputtering deposition apparatus. Figure 1a shows the cartridge 100 before sputtering deposition, Figure 1b shows the cartridge 100 during sputtering deposition, and Figure 1c shows the cartridge 100 after sputtering deposition.

[0035] In Figure 1, the cartridge 100 includes a substrate 102, at least one sputter target 104 for use in sputter depositing a target material onto the substrate 102 using a sputtering deposition apparatus, and a chamber 106. In this case, the chamber 106 includes the substrate 102 and at least one sputter target 104 before and after sputter deposition of the target material onto the substrate. However, in other cases (such as in the case of Figure 2), the chamber may be arranged to store the substrate having the deposited target material after sputtering deposition. In such a case, the chamber need not include the substrate nor at least one sputter target before deposition.

[0036] The cartridge 100 is any suitable container for housing the substrate, for example, after deposition, and the container is designed to be inserted into a sputter deposition apparatus. For example, the cartridge 100 includes components (such as the substrate 102) to be processed by the sputter deposition apparatus, and the components can be used up in the sputter deposition process or otherwise replaced. For example, the material of the sputter target is gradually consumed in the sputter deposition process, and the substrate 102 can be replaced by depositing a layer of the target material on the surface of the substrate 102. The cartridge 100 can also be referred to as a cassette. The shape of the cartridge 100 in FIG. 1 is a rectangular parallelepiped, and the cross section is rectangular (shown in FIG. 1). In this case, the cartridge 100 has a cubic outer structure and is hollow inside. Although this is just an example, in other examples, the cartridge 100 can have other shapes. The hollow region inside the cartridge 100 corresponds to the chamber 106, which is the cavity of the cartridge 100 in this example. At least one wall of the chamber 106 can be the wall of the cartridge 100 (which can also be referred to as the outer structure, casing or housing). This is shown in FIG. 1, where the casing of the cartridge 100 coincides with the boundary of the chamber 106. Although this is the case, in other cases, the chamber can be a separate chamber inside the cartridge 100, and the separate chamber has at least one wall that does not form part of the casing of the cartridge, for example.

[0037] The chamber 106 can be a sealable chamber for confining a vacuum. For example, the pressure inside the chamber 106 can be appropriately adjusted to create vacuum conditions inside the chamber 106 as needed. Then, the chamber can be sealed and the desired pressure can be maintained.

[0038] In FIG. 1, chamber 106 is a vacuum chamber. Therefore, chamber 106 is under vacuum conditions before, during, and after sputter deposition. This can reduce contamination of substrate 102 within chamber 106, for example, due to reactions between substrate 102 and molecules such as gas within chamber 106. The vacuum referred to herein is not necessarily a perfect vacuum, but rather refers to an environment where the pressure is lower than atmospheric pressure, such as a sufficiently low pressure that prevents or at least significantly reduces unwanted interactions between substrate 102 and other materials, or a pressure suitable for sputter deposition. For example, a low pressure suitable for sputter deposition can be 3×10 ―3 torr or less. Chamber 106 can be evacuated by a pump system (not shown) to a suitable pressure (e.g., less than 1×10 -5 torr), and during use, a process gas or sputter gas such as argon or nitrogen can be introduced into chamber 106 using a gas supply system (not shown) to a degree where a pressure suitable for sputter deposition is achieved (e.g., 3×10 ―3 torr). In such cases, chamber 106 may be evacuated before or after substrate 102 is loaded into chamber 106.

[0039] In other cases, chamber 106 may not be under vacuum conditions and instead, for example, may be at atmospheric pressure. Whether to use a vacuum or some other condition can depend on substrate 102 and the target material to be deposited on substrate 102. For example, in some cases, when substrate 102 and / or the target material to be deposited on substrate 102 is unlikely to react with inert or ambient components, a vacuum may not be required. For example, if the sputter deposition is non-reactive sputter deposition, the target material may be the material of the sputter target or may include the sputter target. However, in other cases, the target material may be obtained by reaction or other interaction between the material released from sputter target 104 and a reactive material such as a reactive gas. In these cases, the deposition can be considered reactive sputter deposition, and the target material can originate from the material of at least one sputter target.

[0040] In the example of FIG. 1, the substrate 102 is a web of the substrate, but in other cases, the substrate may have a different shape. For example, the web of the substrate refers to a flexible substrate or otherwise bendable or easily bendable substrate. Such a substrate can be flexible enough to be bent around a roller, for example, as part of a roll-to-roll supply system. However, in other cases, the substrate may be relatively rigid or not flexible. In such cases, the substrate can be transported by a conveyor system without bending or with little bending of the substrate.

[0041] The substrate 102 may be silicon or a polymer, or may include silicon or a polymer. In some examples, for example, for the manufacture of energy storage devices, the substrate 102 may be or include a nickel foil, but it should be understood that any suitable metal such as aluminum, copper or steel, or a metallized material such as aluminum on polyethylene terephthalate (PET) can be used instead of nickel.

[0042] The substrate 102 is supported by a substrate support system, which in this case comprises a first reel 108 (shown in FIG. 1a) that supports the substrate 102 before sputter deposition and a second reel 110 (shown in FIGS. 1b and 1c) that supports the substrate 102 after sputter deposition. However, this is just an example, and in other cases, the substrate 102 may be supported by a substrate support system of a different shape. The reel is, for example, a cylindrical component around which the substrate 102 can be wound and can also be referred to as a spool.

[0043] Chamber 106 also includes a conveyor system, which in this case forms part of the substrate support system. The conveyor system is arranged to transport the substrate 102 relative to at least one sputter target 104 during sputter deposition. The conveyor system may comprise curved members such as rollers. FIG. 1 shows such an example. In FIG. 1, the conveyor system comprises a drum 114, a first roller 112 arranged to feed or otherwise direct the substrate 102 from the first reel 108 to the drum 114, and a second roller 116 arranged to feed or otherwise direct the substrate 102 from the drum 114 to the second reel 110. The conveyor system 110 in this case forms part of a "reel-to-reel" process arrangement, and the substrate 102 is fed from the first reel 108, and after undergoing sputter deposition, is fed to the second reel 110 to form a reel with processed substrates stacked thereon (shown in FIG. 1c).

[0044] The end of the substrate 102 may first be directed from the first reel 108 towards the conveyor system by a feeding mechanism (not shown), and in some cases, may be directed through the conveyor system. For example, the feeding mechanism directs the end of the substrate 102 through the conveyor system to the second reel 110. To gradually transport the substrate 102 from the first reel 108 to the second reel 110, for example, the rotation of the first reel 108 and the second reel 110 may be interlocked, and the subsequent movement of the substrate 102 may be carried out by the conveyor system. However, in other cases, the end of the substrate 102 or a leader or other material attached to the end of the substrate 102 may already be at least partially wound around the second reel 110 or supported by the second reel 110. In such cases, the cartridge 100 may not need to include a feeding mechanism. Instead, the substrate 102 may be unwound from the first reel 108 and gradually wound around the second reel 110 by the rotation of the conveyor system and the first and second reels 108 and 110.

[0045] For example, to effect sputter deposition of a target material that includes the material of at least one target 104 or results from the material of at least one target 104 onto a substrate 102, a conveyor system is arranged to convey the substrate 102 in a transport direction D (shown in FIG. 1b) with respect to at least one sputter target 104. The transport direction D may be considered to coincide with the general direction in which the substrate 102 moves from a first reel 108 to a second reel 110, and may be considered the overall direction of movement of the substrate 102. When the conveyor system comprises rollers (such as drum 114), the transport direction D may coincide with the direction of rotation of the roller that can be taken as a tangent to the highest point of the roller. In such a case, the conveyor system may be arranged to convey the substrate 114 in the transport direction D, which is perpendicular to the axis of rotation of the roller (drum 114 in this case).

[0046] In FIG. 1, the cartridge 100 comprises four targets 104a - 104d (collectively referred to by reference numeral 104), which is merely an example. The sputter targets 104 may contain the same material as each other, or one or more of the sputter targets 104 may contain a material different from another one of the sputter targets 104.

[0047] The sputter targets 104 are supported by one or more target support assemblies 118. In some examples, the target support assembly 118 may comprise at least one plate or other support structure that supports or holds the sputter target 104. In FIG. 1, there is one target support assembly for each sputter target. However, in other cases, there may be more or fewer target support assemblies per sputter target. For example, a single target support assembly may support one or more sputter targets, such as all of the sputter targets within a chamber.

[0048] The target material to be deposited on the substrate 102 may be or may include the material of the sputter target 104, or may be or may include a material formed by the interaction of the material of the sputter target 104 with an additional material. In some examples, the target material includes the material of an electrode layer or an electrolyte layer of an energy storage device. For example, for the manufacture of an energy storage device, the target material may be or may include a material suitable for storing lithium ions, such as lithium cobaltate, lithium iron phosphate, or an alkali metal polysulfide, which is the cathode layer of the energy storage device, or may be or may include their precursor substances. Additionally or alternatively, the target material may be or may include lithium metal, graphite, silicon, or indium tin oxide, etc., which is the anode layer of the energy storage device, or may be or may include their precursor substances. Additionally or alternatively, the target material may be or may include a material that is ion-conductive but also an electrical insulator, such as lithium oxynitride phosphate (LiPON), which is the electrolyte layer of the energy storage device, or may be or may include their precursor substances. For example, at least one material of the sputter target may be or may include LiPO as a precursor substance for depositing LiPON on the substrate 102 through a reaction with a gas (such as nitrogen gas) that can be supplied to the chamber 106, for example, during sputter deposition.

[0049] In this case, the cartridge 100 may be used to store the sputter target 104 and the substrate 102. The sputter target 104 may be sensitive to atmospheric conditions. For example, when stored in air at atmospheric pressure and temperature, the material of the sputter target 104 may react with certain molecules in the air or may undergo an undesirable phase transition. For example, some materials (such as materials containing lithium) have a relatively low sublimation point. Therefore, such materials can sublime at room temperature rather than remaining in the solid phase (for sputter deposition). However, the conditions within the cartridge 100 may be designed to avoid or limit undesirable changes in the properties of the material of the sputter target 104 within the cartridge 100, such as reactions and / or phase transitions. Controlling the conditions within the cartridge 100 may be easier than controlling the environmental conditions within a larger space such as the space of the entire sputter deposition apparatus.

[0050] When the cartridge 100 is used to deposit a layer on the substrate 102 of an energy storage device, for example, if there are defects in the layer deposition, there may be a risk of short - circuiting of the deposited layer. For example, defects in the deposition of an electrolyte layer can cause a short - circuit between the cathode layer and the anode layer. Stacking layers with a large surface area increases the capacity of the battery. Therefore, a short - circuit can cause thermal runaway and can cause spontaneous ignition of the material. However, after depositing a layer on the substrate 102, the cartridge 100 may store a substrate 102 having a sufficiently small surface area such that even if there are defects, the capacity of the stacked layers is small enough to reduce the risk of thermal runaway. Therefore, the safety of the sputter deposition process can be improved.

[0051] In the example of FIG. 1, sputter deposition occurs inside the cartridge (in this case, inside chamber 106) rather than externally. Therefore, the cartridge 100 contains the material released during sputter deposition, and this material can remain within the cartridge 100 without coating the sputter deposition apparatus into which the cartridge 100 is inserted. Therefore, this can prevent or reduce the need to clean the sputter deposition apparatus and reduce the need to stop the operation of the sputter deposition apparatus. This can improve the efficiency of sputter deposition.

[0052] In this case, the plasma 120 is confined within the cartridge 100 during sputter deposition (shown in FIG. 1b). The ions of the plasma 120 collide with the sputter target 104, causing the sputter target 104 to release material. The released material may be deposited as target material onto the surface of the substrate 102 as the substrate 102 is transported by the conveyor system from the first reel 108 to the second reel 110. In other cases, the released material may interact with additional materials, such as gases, before depositing onto the surface of the substrate 102 as target material. The plasma 120 may be generated inside the cartridge 100 during sputter deposition, or may be generated outside the cartridge 100 and subsequently confined within the cartridge 100.

[0053] In this case, the cartridge 100 includes an aperture 122 through which plasma generated by a sputtering deposition apparatus enters. In the example of FIG. 1, the aperture 122 is a door, which is a movable barrier, for example, at the entrance of the cartridge 100. However, in other cases, the aperture may have a different shape such as a hole or other opening. Such an aperture may be sealable. Sealing the aperture refers to closing the aperture in such a way as to prevent, for example, a given material (such as plasma 120) from entering or exiting the cartridge 100. For example, the hole may be plugged with a stopper, or the door may be moved to a closed position and sealed using, for example, a suitable sealant or adhesive. The sealing of the cartridge 100 may be performed reversibly so that the cartridge 100 can be opened again. In some cases, the aperture 122 may be configured such that after sputter deposition, the substrate 102 can be removed from the cartridge 100 through the aperture 122. However, in other cases, the cartridge 100 may include an additional aperture or other opening through which the substrate 102 can be removed from the cartridge 100.

[0054] In the example, the aperture 122 is opened when the cartridge 100 is inserted into the sputtering deposition apparatus or after the cartridge 100 is inserted into the sputtering deposition apparatus. When the aperture 122 is open, plasma generated away from the cartridge 100 can subsequently enter the cartridge 100 and be confined therein for sputter depositing a target material onto the substrate 102 in the cartridge 100. After the sputter deposition stops, for example, after the substrate 102 has moved from the first reel 108 to the second reel 110, the aperture 122 may be closed and sealed. Therefore, this can prevent other materials from entering the cartridge 100 thereafter. For example, the aperture 122 may be closed and / or sealed before the cartridge 100 is removed from the sputtering deposition apparatus. FIGS. 1a and 1c show the aperture 122 in the closed position, and FIG. 1b shows the aperture 122 in the open position.

[0055] After closing the aperture 122, the pressure of the cartridge 100 may be appropriately adjusted to reduce contamination. For example, after closing the aperture 122, the cartridge 100 (or the chamber 106 of the cartridge 100) may be evacuated before removing the cartridge 100 from the sputter deposition apparatus. Therefore, the cartridge 100 can be sealed under vacuum during sputter deposition. For example, for further processing, the aperture may be opened again and the substrate 102 may be removed from the cartridge 100. However, immediately after sputter deposition, the substrate 102 may not need to be removed from the cartridge 100. Instead, the substrate 102 may be stored in the cartridge 100 for a certain period of time before removal. The cartridge 100 may be further used to transport the substrate 102. For example, (if the chamber 106 of the cartridge 100 or the cartridge 100 itself remains under vacuum) the substrate 102 can be easily transported under the vacuum conditions within the cartridge 100. The cartridge 100 and / or the sputter deposition apparatus may include a suitable gas coupling mechanism that can be used to pressurize and / or depressurize the cartridge 100 while it is within the sputter deposition apparatus or otherwise before or after sputter deposition occurs.

[0056] Figure 2 is a schematic view of a cartridge 200 to be inserted into a sputter deposition apparatus according to a further example. Features of Figure 2 that are similar to the corresponding features of Figure 1 are denoted by the same reference numerals incremented by 100. The corresponding description applies. Figure 2 shows the cartridge 200 after sputter depositing a target material on the substrate 202.

[0057] The cartridge 200 of FIG. 2 is identical to the cartridge 100 of FIG. 1, except that the cartridge 200 of FIG. 2 includes a separate chamber 206 for storing the substrate 202 after sputter deposition. Therefore, the cavity 124 of the cartridge 200 of FIG. 2 includes the chamber 206, but the chamber 206 does not entirely fill the cavity 124. In this case, the chamber 206 may be a removable chamber, and after storing the deposited substrate 202 (which may be a part of a large substrate or the entire substrate 202) therein, it may be removed from the cartridge 200.

[0058] The chamber 206 may be a sealable chamber for containing a vacuum. For example, in order to insert the substrate 202 after sputter deposition and / or to remove unwanted materials such as excess gas within the chamber 206, the chamber 206 may have at least one aperture. The aperture may be identical to, similar to, or different from the aperture 122 of the cartridge 100 of FIG. 1. For example, the aperture may have different sizes and / or shapes in order to allow the substrate 202 and / or gas to enter and / or exit the chamber 206. For example, after deposition, in order to create a vacuum within the chamber 206, after inserting the substrate 202 into the chamber 206, the gas may be evacuated from the chamber 206. In this way, the substrate 202 may be stored under vacuum conditions, for example, reducing the deterioration of the layer deposited on the substrate 202 that may occur due to the interaction between the layer at atmospheric pressure and gas molecules. In other cases, a vacuum may be created within the chamber 206 before or during sputter deposition. The conditions within the chamber 206 may be different from other regions of the cartridge 200. For example, while the chamber 206 consists of a vacuum, other regions of the cartridge 200 may be at atmospheric pressure. However, in other cases, the conditions within the cartridge 200 may be uniform. For example, the cavity 124 (including the chamber 206) of the cartridge 200 may be under vacuum.

[0059] Figure 3a is a schematic view of a sputter deposition apparatus 126 according to an example in which a cartridge 300 is inserted therein. The cartridge 300 of FIG. 3a is identical to the cartridge 100 of FIG. 1, except that the casing of the cartridge 300 includes a transmission region 128 instead of an aperture 122. The features of the cartridge 300 of FIG. 3a that are similar to the corresponding features of the cartridge 100 of FIG. 1 are denoted with 200 added thereto, but are denoted with the same reference numerals and the corresponding descriptions apply.

[0060] The sputter deposition apparatus 126 of FIG. 3a includes a plasma generation array 130 that is arranged to supply a plasma 320 for sputter depositing a target material onto a substrate 302. The plasma generation array 130 may include one or more antennas through which appropriate radio frequency power can be sent by a radio frequency power supply system. In this way, an inductively coupled plasma 320 may be generated from a process gas or a sputter gas. In this case, the process gas or the sputter gas may be present within the cartridge 300. For example, the cartridge 300 may include an appropriate gas supply system for supplying the process gas or the sputter gas into the cartridge 300, for example, into the chamber 306, or may be connectable to the gas supply system. However, in other cases (such as in the case of FIG. 1), the process gas or the sputter gas may be present outside the cartridge, for example, in other regions of the sputter deposition apparatus 126. The plasma in such a case may be generated outside the cartridge and then introduced into the cartridge, for example, via an aperture. In this way, the plasma generation array 130 may be arranged to supply the plasma 320 for sputter deposition within the deposition region of the sputter deposition apparatus 126, where sputter deposition of a target material including the material of the sputter target 304 or otherwise a target material resulting from the material of the sputter target 304 onto the substrate 302 occurs. In this case, the cartridge 300 includes the deposition region. However, in other cases such as in FIG. 4, the deposition region may be present outside the cartridge.

[0061] In some examples, a radio frequency current may be sent through one or more antennas at a frequency between, for example, 1 MHz and 1 GHz, between 1 MHz and 100 MHz, between 10 MHz and 40 MHz, or at a frequency of approximately 13.56 MHz or a multiple thereof to generate the plasma 320. The radio frequency power causes ionization of the process gas or sputter gas to generate the plasma 320.

[0062] One or more antennas of the plasma generation array 130 may be elongated antennas, and the elongated antennas may be elongated perpendicular to the transport direction D in which the substrate 302 is transported during sputter deposition. In such a case, the elongated antenna may extend in a direction parallel to the rotation axis of the drum 314, and the drum 314 is used to transport the substrate 302 relative to the sputter target 304 during sputter deposition. In some cases, the antenna may be linear, but in other cases, the antenna may be curved. For example, the antenna may be semi-circular.

[0063] In the example of FIG. 3a, the plasma generation array 130 is located on one side of the cartridge 300 with the cartridge 300 inserted into the sputter deposition apparatus 126. Although this is the case, in other cases, the plasma generation array may include at least two antennas arranged laterally with respect to each other, for example, on the opposite side of the cartridge 300. For example, such antennas may each extend parallel to each other. For example, this enables the accurate generation of the plasma 320 near the cartridge 300.

[0064] The sputter deposition apparatus 126 of an example such as that of FIG. 3 may further include a confinement arrangement (not shown). The confinement arrangement may include one or more magnetic elements arranged to supply a confinement magnetic field that at least partially confines the plasma 320 to an appropriate region, which results in sputter deposition of a target material onto the substrate 302 during use. For example, in an example where the plasma is generated outside the cartridge and subsequently made to be present within the cartridge, a confinement arrangement may be used to at least partially confine the plasma within the cartridge.

[0065] In FIG. 3a, the sputter deposition apparatus 126 includes a cartridge 300 with the cartridge 300 being inserted into the sputter deposition apparatus 126. The cartridge 300 is arranged to accommodate the substrate 302 having the deposited target material after sputter depositing the target material onto the substrate 302. The cartridge 300 is removable from the sputter deposition apparatus 126. A removable cartridge 300 means that, for example, the cartridge 300 can be taken out of the sputter deposition apparatus 126 or otherwise withdrawn without damaging the sputter deposition apparatus. For example, the sputter deposition apparatus 126 may include a removal structure for removing the cartridge 300 from the sputter deposition apparatus 126.

[0066] In this case, the casing of the cartridge 300 may comprise a transmission region 128 that at least partially transmits an electric field and / or a magnetic field generated and propagated by the sputtering deposition device 126 for generating the plasma 320 within the cartridge 300. The transmission region 128 contains or is formed of, for example, quartz. In this case, an electric field and / or a magnetic field may be generated and propagated by the plasma generation array 130 for generating the plasma 320. In this case, the plasma generation array 130 is present outside the cartridge. However, the electric field and / or the magnetic field may be propagated into the cartridge 300 via the transmission region 128. In this way, the plasma 320 may be generated within the cartridge 300, that is, within the cartridge which can be regarded as the deposition region of the cartridge 300, where sputter deposition of the target material onto the substrate 302 takes place.

[0067] In such an example, the gas (such as air) may be exhausted from the cartridge 300 before sputter deposition, and in some cases, it may be exhausted before loading the substrate 302 into the cartridge 300. However, in order to generate the plasma 320 inside the cartridge 300 during sputter deposition, an appropriate process gas or sputter gas such as argon or nitrogen may be pumped into the cartridge 300. For example, a reactive gas such as nitrogen, oxygen, ammonia, nitrogen oxides, and / or helium may be introduced into the cartridge 300 via an appropriate inlet, and may interact with the material released from the sputter target 304 by the plasma 320 that performs reactive deposition of the target material on the substrate 302. During reactive deposition, at least one non-reactive gas (such as argon) may be injected into the cartridge 300. In reactive deposition, the gas within the deposition region (in this case, inside the cartridge 300) that can be injected into the deposition region may contain one or more chemical elements and / or molecules that can chemically react with the material released from the sputter target 304. As a result, the released material reacts chemically with the elements and / or molecules in the reactive gas, resulting in one or more materials that deposit as the target material on the substrate 302.

[0068] In this example, the transmission region 128 extends over a region that does not fill the entire casing of the cartridge 300. For example, the transmission region 128 may be considered as a transmission window on one side of the cartridge 300. However, in other cases, the entire or most of the casing of the cartridge 300 may transmit such an electric field and / or magnetic field.

[0069] The sputter deposition apparatus 126 of FIG. 3a further comprises a substrate support assembly arranged to support a substrate 302 and a target support assembly 318 arranged to support at least one sputter target 304 for sputter deposition of a target material onto the substrate 302. The target support assembly 318 of FIG. 3a is electrically connected to an electrode 132 (schematically shown by a dashed line in FIG. 3a), and a voltage can be applied to an electromagnet related to the sputter target 304 via the electrode. The voltage applied to the electromagnet is controlled by a suitable controller 134. Such a controller 134 may comprise a processor such as a microprocessor arranged to control the current through the electromagnet, and as a result, control the magnetic field strength supplied by the electromagnet. The reference to the control of the magnetic field herein may be considered to refer to controlling any feature of the magnetic field including the magnetic field strength.

[0070] The electromagnet may be controlled to supply a target - specific bias, for example, to enable control of the magnetic fields related to different sputter targets to confine the plasma 320 in regions adjacent to different sputter targets as desired. By controlling the magnetic fields related to different sputter targets, it is possible to control the deposition of materials from different sputter targets, for example, to deposit more material from one sputter target than the other, or to deposit more material generated from one sputter target than the other.

[0071] In this example, the cartridge 300 itself comprises a substrate support assembly, which includes a first reel 308 and a second reel 310, a first roller 312 and a second roller 316, and a drum 314. The cartridge 300 also comprises a target support assembly 318 and at least one sputter target 304 supported by the target support assembly 318. However, in other cases, the substrate support assembly and / or the target support assembly may be provided in the area of the sputter deposition apparatus outside the cartridge. As described with reference to FIG. 1, the substrate support assembly may comprise a conveyor system arranged to transport the substrate relative to at least one sputter target 304 during sputter deposition.

[0072] In the example of FIG. 3a, during the sputter deposition process, the substrate 302 is present within the cartridge 300. In such an example, the cartridge 300 may be sealed under vacuum during sputter deposition. This can further reduce the contamination of the sputter deposition apparatus 126 by the material or plasma 320 itself released during sputter deposition.

[0073] After moving the substrate 302 from the first reel 308 to the second reel 310, the sputter deposition process may be stopped. For example, the power supply of the plasma generation array 130 may be turned off. Next, the cartridge 300 may be removed from the sputter deposition apparatus 126 and moved for further processing or storage. After removing the cartridge 300 from the sputter deposition apparatus 126, a further cartridge, which may be similar to the cartridge 300 of FIG. 3a, may be inserted into the sputter deposition apparatus 126. Thereafter, the sputter deposition process may be executed again using the further cartridge. This process may be repeatedly executed to deposit the target material on a plurality of substrates respectively stored in different cartridges. The sputter deposition apparatus 126 may be cleaned between the removal of the cartridge and the insertion of the next cartridge. However, since the cartridge 300 can limit the contact between the contaminated parts of the sputter deposition process (such as the material released from the sputter target 304 and the plasma 320) and the components of the sputter deposition apparatus 126 (such as the housing of the sputter deposition apparatus 126, the plasma generation array 130, the controller 134, and the electrode 132, the electronic circuit for controlling the sputter target bias or the generation of the plasma, and / or the confinement element for confining the plasma, etc.), the sputter deposition apparatus 126 may be cleaned less frequently than a sputter deposition apparatus without a cartridge.

[0074] After sputter depositing a target material on the substrate 302 and removing the cartridge 300 including the substrate 302 having the target material deposited thereon from the sputter deposition apparatus 126, subsequently, the substrate 302 may be removed from the cartridge 300. For example, the substrate 302 may be removed and subsequently incorporated into an energy storage device. Thereafter, the cartridge 300 may go through a replenishment process of loading a new substrate for depositing the target material onto the first reel 308. When at least one of the sputter targets 304 is used up or consumed, at least one sputter target may be replaced with a replenished sputter target. In some cases, at least one of the sputter targets may be replaced with a sputter target containing a different material, thereby enabling the cartridge 300 to be reused to deposit different target materials on the substrate. If the sputter target is sensitive to atmospheric conditions, for example, if the sputter target contains lithium, the replenishment of at least one sputter target may be performed under vacuum conditions. During the replenishment process, the interior of the cartridge 300 may be cleaned to remove debris from the previous sputter deposition process. However, this may be performed while the sputter deposition apparatus 126 is being used to process other cartridges, which means that the sputter deposition process can be continued more efficiently than otherwise.

[0075] In other cases, at least one of the sputter targets 304 within the cartridge 300 may be replaced without replacing or removing the substrate 302. For example, initially, the cartridge 300 may comprise a sputter target suitable for depositing an anode layer on the substrate 302. After depositing the anode layer on the substrate 302, at least one of the sputter targets 304 may be replaced with a further sputter target containing the material for the electrolyte layer. The cartridge 300 may then be re-inserted into the sputter deposition apparatus 126 and an electrolyte layer may be deposited on top of the anode layer. A similar process may be carried out to manufacture a number of layers of an energy storage device such as a solid-state battery, and a cathode layer may be deposited on top of the electrolyte layer. In such a case, the substrate 302 may be moved from the first reel 308 to the second reel 310 while depositing the anode layer on the substrate 302. Subsequently, the transport direction D of the substrate 302 may be reversed and the substrate 302 may be moved back from the second reel 310 to the first reel 308 while depositing the electrolyte layer on top of the anode layer. The transport direction D may be reversed again and the substrate may be moved from the first reel 308 to the second reel 310 while depositing the cathode layer on top of the electrolyte layer. However, this is merely an example. In other cases, the transport direction may remain unchanged. In such a case, after depositing each layer, the substrate 302 may be moved back from the first reel 310 to the second reel 308.

[0076] In the example of FIG. 3a, the casing of the cartridge 300 may include a transmission region 128. However, a sputtering deposition apparatus similar to the sputtering deposition apparatus of FIG. 3a may be used together with the cartridges 100 and 200 of FIGS. 1 and 2, which include an aperture 122 for plasma to enter the deposition region of the cartridge instead of the transmission region 128. In such a case, after inserting the cartridge into the sputtering deposition apparatus and before opening the aperture 122 of the cartridge, a vacuum may be created within the sputtering deposition apparatus 126 during the sputtering deposition process. After depositing the target material on the substrate, the aperture 122 of the cartridge may be closed, and then the sputtering deposition apparatus may be returned to atmospheric pressure. Thereafter, the cartridge may be removed from the sputtering deposition apparatus. Although not necessary, when used with the cartridge 300, a vacuum may be created within the sputtering deposition apparatus 126 of FIG. 3a when generating the plasma 320 inside the cartridge 300 rather than outside the cartridge 300.

[0077] FIG. 3b schematically shows the sputtering deposition apparatus 126 of FIG. 3a without a cartridge inserted. The sputtering deposition apparatus 126 includes a cartridge support assembly 136 arranged to support a cartridge such as the cartridge described above so that the cartridge can be removed from the sputtering deposition apparatus 126. For example, the cartridge may include a substrate and at least one sputter target used for sputter depositing a target material onto the substrate. The sputtering deposition apparatus 126 further includes a plasma generation array 130 for supplying plasma for sputter depositing a target material onto the substrate.

[0078] In the example of FIG. 3b, to transport the substrate relative to the sputter target, the sputter deposition apparatus 126 further comprises a drive mechanism for driving the conveyor system of the cartridge 300 (once inserted into the sputter deposition apparatus 126). In this example, the drive mechanism comprises drive rollers 138a - 138e, which engage with the first reel 108, the first roller 112, the drum 114, the second roller 116, and the second reel 110, respectively, to rotate the reels, rollers, and drum of the cartridge 300. For example, the drive rollers may fit into the reels, rollers, and drum of the cartridge 300, for example via teeth, and the drive rollers may have a smaller diameter than the reels, rollers, and drum of the cartridge 300 so as to fit together. One or more of the drive rollers 138a - 138e may be spindles, which are rods or pins that function as axes about which the reels, rollers, and / or drum of the cartridge 300 rotate during use, for example.

[0079] In the sputter deposition apparatuses 126 of FIGS. 3a and 3b, sputter deposition occurs within the cartridge 300. FIGS. 4a and 4b are schematic diagrams of further examples of a sputter deposition apparatus 426, in which sputter deposition occurs outside rather than within the cartridge. Features of the sputter deposition apparatus 426 in FIGS. 4a and 4b that are similar to the corresponding features of the sputter deposition apparatus 126 of FIGS. 3a and 3b are denoted by the same reference numerals preceded by 4. The corresponding descriptions apply.

[0080] A sputter deposition apparatus 426 with the cartridge 400 inserted during sputter deposition is shown in FIG. 4a. The sputter deposition apparatus 426 is shown in plan view in FIGS. 4a and 4b, whereas FIGS. 3a and 3b show cross-sectional views of different sputter deposition apparatuses 126.

[0081] In FIG. 4a, before inserting the cartridge 400 into the sputter deposition apparatus 426, the cartridge 400 comprises a substrate 402. The substrate 402 is gradually unwound from the first reel 408, enters from the cartridge 400 into the deposition region of the sputter deposition apparatus 426, and sputter deposition occurs in the deposition region. In this case, the sputter deposition apparatus 426 comprises a plasma generation array 430, and the plasma generation array 430 is arranged in the deposition region to cause sputter deposition of a target material containing the material of the sputter target 404 on at least a part of the substrate 402 or, otherwise, sputter deposition of a target material resulting from the material of the sputter target 404. In this case, the deposition region exists outside the cartridge 400.

[0082] After sputter depositing the target material on the substrate 402, the substrate 402 is wound back into the cartridge 402 and wound around the second reel 410. After processing the substrate 402, the cartridge 400 may be sealed with the processed substrate 402 inside. In some cases, the cartridge 400 may be sealed under vacuum. Then, the cartridge 400 may be removed from the sputter deposition apparatus 426.

[0083] In such an example, the sputter deposition apparatus 426 may be arranged to receive the cartridge 400 in which the substrate 402 is disposed, and may comprise a transport assembly 140 for transporting at least a part of the substrate 402 from the cartridge 400 to the deposition region (outside the cartridge 400 in this case) to cause sputter deposition in the deposition region. The transport assembly 140 is further arranged to transport at least a part of the substrate 402, on which the target material is deposited, into the cartridge 400 after sputter deposition. In the examples of FIGS. 4a and 4b, the transport assembly 140 comprises a plurality of rollers 140a - 140g (collectively referred to as the transport assembly 140). However, this is merely an example.

[0084] Therefore, the cartridges 400 of these examples may include at least one suitable aperture that allows the substrate 402 to be removed from the cartridge 400 and then reinserted into the cartridge 400.

[0085] Figure 4b shows the sputter deposition apparatus 426 of Figure 4a with no cartridge inserted therein. The sputter deposition apparatus 426 of Figure 4b includes a drive mechanism 438 that drives the cartridge support assembly 436 and the transport assembly 140. In this case, the drive mechanism 438 also drives the first reel 408 and the second reel 410. However, in other cases, the first reel 408 and / or the second reel 410 may be driven individually.

[0086] In the examples of Figures 4a and 4b, the target support assembly 404 and the sputter target 404 are shown outside the cartridge 400. The target support assembly 404 and / or the sputter target 404 may be present outside the cartridge 400 even before the cartridge 400 is inserted into the sputter deposition apparatus 426. However, in other cases, the target support assembly 404 and / or the sputter target 404 may be within the cartridge 400 when the cartridge 400 is inserted into the sputter deposition apparatus 426. Next, the target support assembly 404 and / or the sputter target 404 may be transported from the cartridge 400 to different parts of the sputter deposition apparatus 426. Figure 5 schematically shows such an example. Features of Figure 5 that are similar to the corresponding features of Figure 4 are labeled with a 5 in front but are shown with the same reference for consistency. The corresponding descriptions apply.

[0087] Figure 5 shows the sputtering deposition apparatus 526 before starting sputtering deposition. In this example, the sputtering deposition apparatus 526 is arranged to receive a cartridge 500 in which at least one sputtering target 504 is disposed. To effect sputtering deposition within the deposition region (outside the cartridge 500), the sputtering deposition apparatus 526 further includes a transport assembly 142 arranged to transport at least one sputtering target 504 from the cartridge 500 to the deposition region. The transport assembly 142 may be a separate assembly from the transport assembly 540 arranged to transport the substrate 502 outside the cartridge 500, or may form part of the same transport assembly. The transport assembly 142 is schematically shown in Figure 5, but may take any suitable shape. For example, the transport assembly 142 may include at least one additional roller.

[0088] In Figure 5, at least one sputtering target 504 is transported from the cartridge 500 to the target support assembly 518. However, in other examples, the cartridge 500 may comprise both at least one sputtering target 504 and the target support assembly 518. In such a case, both at least one sputtering target 504 and the target support assembly 518 may be transported outside the cartridge 500.

[0089] After transporting at least one sputtering target 504 outside the cartridge 500, the sputtering deposition apparatus 526 of Figure 5 may be arranged similarly to the sputtering deposition apparatus 426 of Figure 4. Therefore, sputtering deposition may occur as described with reference to Figure 4.

[0090] After stopping sputter deposition, at least one sputter target 504 and / or target support assembly 518 may be transported, for example, by transport assembly 142 and returned to cartridge 500, or may be left in sputter deposition apparatus 526. Therefore, cartridge 500 in these examples is capable of taking at least one sputter target 504 and / or target support assembly 518 out of cartridge 500 and subsequently returning it (if it is desired to return at least one sputter target 504 and / or target support assembly 518 to cartridge 500 again) to cartridge 500 again, and may include at least one suitable aperture.

[0091] The above examples are to be understood as illustrative examples. Further examples are envisioned. For example, in FIGS. 1 through 3, the cartridge includes a first roller, a second roller, and a drum, which together form a conveyor system for transporting a substrate during sputter deposition. However, in other examples, at least a portion (and in some cases, the entirety) of the conveyor system may be external to the cartridge. For example, the sputter deposition apparatus may include a first roller, a second roller, and / or a drum, which may be inserted into the cartridge when the cartridge is inserted into the sputter deposition apparatus.

[0092] In the above examples, the chamber of the cartridge may be maintained under vacuum. In some cases, the cartridge may have multiple chambers, at least one of which may be under vacuum, may be open during sputter deposition, or may otherwise be connected to each other during sputter deposition. For example, the cartridge may have a chamber for accommodating a sputter target and at least one additional chamber for accommodating a substrate before and / or after sputter deposition.

[0093] Any feature described in connection with any one example may be used alone, or in combination with other features described, or in combination with one or more features of any other example, or in combination with any combination of any other examples. It should further be understood that equivalents and improvements not described above may also be used without departing from the scope of the appended claims.

Claims

1. A sputtering deposition apparatus, a substrate support assembly arranged to support a substrate, a target support assembly arranged to support at least one sputtering target for sputter deposition of a target material onto the substrate, a plasma generation array arranged to supply plasma for the sputtering deposition, and a cartridge arranged to accommodate the substrate having the deposited target material after the sputtering deposition, wherein the plasma generation array is arranged to supply plasma within a deposition region of the sputtering deposition apparatus, the cartridge includes the deposition region, the cartridge includes the substrate, the substrate support assembly, the target support assembly, and the at least one sputtering target supported by the target support assembly, the cartridge is removable from the sputtering deposition apparatus, and the cartridge is sealed under vacuum during sputtering deposition.

2. The sputtering deposition apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the cartridge includes a vacuum chamber arranged to accommodate at least a portion of the substrate having the deposited target material under vacuum.

3. The sputtering deposition apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the cartridge further includes the target support assembly and the at least one sputtering target.

4. The sputtering deposition apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the plasma generation array is arranged to generate an electric field and / or a magnetic field for generating and propagating plasma, and the casing of the cartridge includes a transmission region that at least partially transmits the electric field and / or the magnetic field to generate plasma within the deposition region of the cartridge.

5. The cartridge is provided with an aperture for plasma to enter the deposition region of the cartridge, and the aperture is sealable, the sputtering deposition apparatus according to claim 1.

6. A sputtering deposition apparatus, a substrate support assembly arranged to support a substrate, a target support assembly arranged to support at least one sputtering target used for sputter deposition of a target material onto the substrate, a plasma generation array arranged to supply plasma for the sputter deposition, and a cartridge arranged to accommodate a substrate having a deposited target material after the sputter deposition, wherein the cartridge includes a substrate, at least one sputtering target used for sputter deposition of a target material onto the substrate for use in the sputtering deposition apparatus, and a chamber for storing the substrate having the deposited target material after the sputter deposition, the chamber is a sealable chamber for confining a vacuum, the cartridge is removable from the sputtering deposition apparatus, the plasma generation array is arranged to supply plasma for sputter deposition within the sputter deposition region of the sputtering deposition apparatus, and the deposition region exists outside the cartridge, the sputtering deposition apparatus.

7. The sputtering deposition apparatus is arranged to receive a cartridge in which a substrate is disposed, the sputtering deposition apparatus is arranged to transport at least a part of the substrate from the cartridge to the deposition region and, after the sputter deposition, transport at least a part of the substrate into the cartridge, the sputtering deposition apparatus according to claim 6.

8. The sputtering deposition apparatus is arranged to receive a cartridge in which at least one sputtering target is disposed, The sputtering deposition apparatus according to claim 7, wherein a transport assembly is further arranged to transport at least one sputtering target from the cartridge to a deposition region in order to effect said sputtering deposition within the deposition region.

9. The sputtering deposition apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein a substrate support assembly comprises a conveyor system arranged to transport a substrate relative to at least one sputtering target during said sputtering deposition.

10. A cartridge for insertion into a sputtering deposition apparatus, a substrate, at least one sputtering target for use in sputter depositing a target material onto a substrate using the sputtering deposition apparatus, and a chamber for storing a substrate having a deposited target material after said sputtering deposition, and A cartridge for insertion into a sputtering deposition apparatus, wherein the chamber is sealable to contain a vacuum.

11. The cartridge according to claim 10, wherein the chamber is a vacuum chamber.

12. The cartridge according to claim 10 or 11, wherein the chamber comprises a substrate and at least one sputtering target before and after said sputtering deposition.

13. The cartridge according to claim 12, wherein the chamber comprises a conveyor system arranged to transport a substrate relative to at least one sputtering target during said sputtering deposition, and optionally, the conveyor system comprises rollers.

14. A cartridge according to any one of claims 10 to 13, comprising an aperture for the plasma generated by the sputtering deposition apparatus to enter, and optionally, the aperture being sealable.

15. A cartridge according to any one of claims 10 to 14, wherein the casing of the cartridge comprises a transmission region that at least partially transmits the electric field and / or magnetic field generated by the sputtering deposition apparatus for generating plasma within the cartridge.

16. The substrate is flexible, A cartridge according to any one of claims 10 to 15, wherein the chamber comprises a reel for supporting a substrate having a deposited target material after the sputtering deposition.

17. The reel is a second reel, A cartridge according to claim 16, wherein the cartridge comprises a first reel for supporting a substrate before the sputtering deposition.

18. A cartridge according to any one of claims 10 to 17, wherein the cartridge comprises a transport assembly arranged to transport the substrate and / or at least one sputtering target out of the cartridge.

19. A cartridge according to any one of claims 10 to 18, wherein the target material comprises a material for an electrode layer or an electrolyte layer of an energy storage device.

20. A sputtering deposition apparatus, A cartridge support assembly arranged to support a cartridge comprising a substrate and at least one sputtering target used for sputter deposition of a target material onto a substrate using the sputtering deposition apparatus, such that the cartridge is removable from the sputtering deposition apparatus, A plasma generation array arranged to supply plasma for the sputtering deposition, A plasma generation array is arranged to supply plasma for the sputter deposition within a deposition region of a sputter deposition apparatus, a cartridge comprises the deposition region, A sputter deposition apparatus in which the cartridge is sealed under vacuum during sputter deposition. **Claim 21**: A sputter deposition apparatus, A cartridge support assembly arranged to support a cartridge comprising a substrate and at least one sputter target used for sputter deposition of a target material onto a substrate used in the sputter deposition apparatus, such that the cartridge is removable from the sputter deposition apparatus, A plasma generation array arranged to supply plasma for the sputter deposition, The deposition region is external to the cartridge, and an at least part of the substrate is transported from the cartridge to the deposition region of the sputter deposition apparatus and An at least part of the substrate is transported into the cartridge after the sputter deposition, an transport assembly is provided, arranged to effect the sputter deposition within the deposition region. The cartridge comprises A substrate, At least one sputter target used for sputter deposition of a target material onto a substrate used in the sputter deposition apparatus, A chamber for storing the substrate having the deposited target material after the sputter deposition, The chamber is a sealable chamber for confining a vacuum, Optionally, the transport assembly is further arranged to transport at least one sputter target from the cartridge to the deposition region to effect the sputter deposition within the deposition region, a sputter deposition apparatus.

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